Quadrifoglio with blacked-out windows needed 1 minute and 44.3 seconds to do a full lap.

Only a couple of weeks after someone drove a Mini Cooper S on two wheels at the Nürburgring to set a new record, another weird and successful attempt took place on a different, but equally legendary track. Alfa Romeo decided the most suitable way to host the U.K. launch of the Giulia was to take the range-topping Quadrifoglio to Silverstone to perform a “blindfolded” lap by applying a black vinyl on all of its windows.

The unconventional lap also marked 65 years since Italian F1 World Champion Nino Farina established a record at Silverstone behind the wheel of an Alfa Romeo 159, which also had the four-leaf clover logo. Coincidentally, Farina was clocked in at 1 minute and 44 seconds whereas the Giulia Quadrifoglio needed 1:44.3 to complete the same task.

At one moment during its record-breaking attempt, the flagship Giulia managed to hit speeds in excess of 100 mph (161 kph) in the hands of Ed Morris, which is the youngest ever British driver to take part in the grueling 24-hour endurance race at Le Mans. Behind him was a white Quadrifoglio controlled by David Brise providing the necessary guidance during Morris’ successful try to take down the Silverstone lap record for a “blindfolded” car. Taking into account it was the first attempt of its kind on the seven-turn, 1.64-mile National Circuit, it would have been a record regardless of time.

The Giulia range is now available in U.K. where it carries a starting price of £29,180 OTR. Should you want to go for the top dog version and its Ferrari-derived biturbo 2.9-liter V6 engine, it’s going to set you back twice as much since Alfa Romeo asking £59,000 OTR. In return for your hard-earned money you’ll be getting the fastest sedan around the Nürburgring with a time of 7:32.

Watch the video to see how the record was set here: https://youtu.be/BxAYP1C62ZE

Starting price for the Alfa Romeo Giulia range starts at£29,180 OTR and is available to test drive in UK dealerships

To celebrate the arrival of the Alfa Romeo Giulia in UK dealerships, the Italian manufacturer has achieved a world first by setting a lap record of the famed Silverstone circuit with an epic twist – the windows of the Quadrifoglio were completely blacked out. Watch the video here https://youtu.be/BxAYP1C62ZE

Marking 65 years from Italian F1 World Champion Nino Farina registering a lap record at Silverstone while driving the legendary Alfa Romeo 159 which was adorned with the iconic Quadrifoglio badge, the 2016 range-topping Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio can now lay claim to another record-breaking accomplishment completing the lap on the National Circuit in 1:44.3secs, matching the 1:44secs set by Farina in 1951.

Despite the car windows being covered entirely in a black vinyl, the hotly-anticipated sports saloon, powered by an all-new aluminium 510hp, 600Nm Bi-Turbo V6 petrol engine, navigated the seven-turn, 1.64-mile course and reached speeds of more than 100mph.

Clearly a challenge of this magnitude would require rigorous preparation. With the Quadrifoglio driven by Ed Morris – the youngest ever British driver to compete at Le Mans 24 hour – and David Brise directing from a second Quadrifoglio behind, the drivers spent two days getting to grips with the challenge, first practising on the smaller Stowe Circuit, before moving onto the iconic National Circuit.

To make this achievement possible required more than just driver determination and memory power, the Alfa Romeo Giulia is packed full of high-performance technologies that allowed the driver to be truly at one with the car.

The Alfa Romeo Giulia is equipped with the Alfa Chassis Domain Control (CDC) system, which is a sector first, distributing the power evenly through the Torque Vectoring & Active Suspension systems to ensure maximum drive through the rear wheels. The “brain” is dedicated to vehicle dynamics – combined with the front Active Aero Splitter and rear air diffuser which helped keep the rear-wheel drive Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio ‘glued’ to the track, while the on-board Alfa Connect infotainment system allowed the driver to stay in touch with the support team.

In addition, and working almost as a sixth sense for the driver, the active safety systems such as Forward Collision Warning (FCW), Autonomous Emergency Brake (AEB) with pedestrian recognition and Lane Departure Warning (LDW), allowed the driver to have complete confidence in the task at hand.

“I’ve driven hundreds of cars but never one with all the windows blacked out,” said professional driver Morris. “As a racing driver it’s in your nature to push yourself and the car to its limits and knowing the Alfa Romeo Giulia is packed with so many high-performance technologies really allowed us to have complete trust in it and focus on setting a record.”

The Alfa Romeo Giulia range is now available to test drive at dealerships throughout the UK, with a starting price of £29,180 OTR, including the record breaking Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio priced at £59,000 OTR.